ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Iraqi Shiite militia, on Thursday urged its fighters to prepare for a "potentially long war of attrition" amid US-Iran tensions, warning the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) not to cooperate with "foreign hostile forces."

The group's statement comes amid a buildup of US military forces in the Middle East to an extent not seen since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, with US President Donald Trump preparing for a prospective military intervention against Tehran should ongoing nuclear talks fail to reach what he terms a "meaningful" agreement.

"Amid American threats and military build-up indicating a dangerous escalation in the region, it is necessary ... to prepare for a potentially long war of attrition," the militia said in a statement.

In an interview with AFP published Friday, a Kataib Hezbollah official said that any attack on Iran "directly threatens us" and that Iran is a strategic pillar for the group.

The statement also warned the KRG against cooperating with "hostile" foreign actors, asserting that such collaboration "poses threats to its security," marking another effort to assuage Erbil from abetting the US in any war with Iran, despite the KRG having time and again insisted upon its regional neutrality.

Kataib Hezbollah earlier in the week responded to the formation of a new alliance of Kurdish groups from western Iran (Rojhelat) by asserting that "the Kurds of the region must act rationally and not become embroiled in a military adventure targeting Islamic Iran."

The new coalition's announcement saw the anti-government amalgam vow to topple the Islamic Republic, with the KRG responding by issuing a statement rejecting the threats made against "a neighboring country" and asserting that it will not allow any party to use the Region to attack any state in the vicnity.

Kataib Hezbollah was designated as a terrorist organization by the US in 2009 and has since been the subject of several US sanctions. Washington has repeatedly called for the disarmament of armed groups within Iraq, claiming that the presence of such factions undermines Iraq’s sovereignty.